Giving Thanks to God by the Way We Live

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Chris Avramopoulos

How
often do you find yourselves being asked by your parents to say, "thank
you?" Whenever you are offered a treat from a friend or an adult helps
you out, you hear a voice from over your shoulder, "Now, what do you
say?" Of course your parents want you to be respectful and use good
manners, and this is why they teach you to say, "Thank you," but I
wonder if we truly know what it means to be thankful.

Thankfulness
is a state of being and a way of life for all Orthodox Christians, for
you and me. A thankful spirit is a key characteristic of a Christian.
It sets us apart from the world. It makes us different.

Thankfulness
is more than a comparison of our own circumstances to someone else's.
It is more than having enough food to eat, a nice home, good health, or
financial security, because any of these can be lost in an instant.
Thankfulness is being grateful to God for who we are, His sacrifice for
us, and the hope and joy of everlasting life.

But how do we show our thankfulness to God?

Faith in Good Works: First, the Orthodox Christian life is a life of faith
— faith in a Lord who laid His life down for our salvation. No one
would deny the fact that the Christian life is one full of faith. But
St. James tells us that if we have true Christian faith, it will be
shown in our good works. He writes, "What use is it, my brethren, if
someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?
Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself (James
2:14,17)." He is telling us that if you have faith in Christ, and your
life is locked into that faith, then your faith will naturally lead you
to do good works.

The proof of your
faith is in good works. Can the proof be found in your life? Again St.
James says, "But prove yourselves doers of the word and not just
hearers who delude themselves" (James 1:22). Too often we join the
people who hear but fail to produce the works that would make us doers.
By doing the good works that Jesus taught us to do, we show by our
actions that our faith is real. The proof of thanksgiving in the
Christian Life is Faith that produces good works.

Love Equals Sacrifice: But
it doesn't just stop here. The Christian Life is a life of Love. Love
not in just words but in action, and love in action is Sacrifice. Love
is sacrifice. St. John tells us "We know love by this that He laid down
His life for us (1 John: 3)." We must sacrifice our will for the will
of Christ, just as He sacrificed His will for the will of the Father.

Many
of you might be involved in sports and many of your games might take
place on a Sunday morning. What do you? Do you continue to participate
in a league that causes a conflict between you and your faith that
holds Sunday morning as a time dedicated to the sacred worship? A faith
that offers the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in Holy Communion for
all the faithful to receive Him and become one with Him.

Which
will you choose? If you sacrifice your participation in this league
that plays on Sunday mornings, it is a real way of showing that you put
God first. It shows that Christ is so important in your life that you
want to show it by offering thanksgiving and worship to Him at Sunday
Divine Liturgy.

We have already said
that Works are the proof of Faith, and Sacrifice shows our Love. But
there is one more aspect of our thankfulness to Christ that we need to
think about.

Discipleship/Apostles for Christ:
What does it mean to be a disciple? We know the original 12 Disciples
followed Jesus, and traveled with Him during His ministry. They lived
with Him and ate with Him, took on His ways, His teachings, His values,
and His character. Not only that, but they also became apostles by
teaching the faith to others, helping others to know Jesus.

They
were true followers, true disciples of Jesus. We as Orthodox Christians
in the 21st Century are also disciples by living as He taught us. In
the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "If you abide in my word you are my
disciples indeed (John 8:31)." Jesus was saying that if you are trying
to live your life the way I have taught you, then you are my follower.
You can truly be called a Christian.

If
you love the way He has told you to love — by SACRIFICE — then you are
part of Him and the proof of your thankfulness is clear. If you try to
walk in Faith, do His Works, and are obedient to His will, the proof of
your thankfulness is clear.

A tree
branch stays alive and bears fruit only because it is attached to and
draws nourishment from the tree. We are the branches and Jesus is the
tree. We draw nourishment through Him.

Being
thankful to God is not just an idea. Often we say things but there is
no substance behind it. Today we talked about real ways of showing our
thanks to God -- not just in words but in the way we offer our lives to
God:

Faith leads us to do works of charity, help those in need, offering our time and talents;

Love encourages us to sacrifice our lives and be obedient to the will
of God, so that our will is the same as the will of God; and

Living a Christ-centered life and walking in His ways, as His disciples
and apostles did, bring us to the very center of our Faith.

May the mercy and love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with all of you. Amen!!

Chris Avramopoulos is currently the Director of Youth and Young Adult
Ministries for the Metropolis of Chicago. A '92 graduate of the
University of Wisconsin, Madison and a '98 graduate of Holy Cross Greek
Orthodox School of Theology, he worked as a Pastoral Assistant/Youth
Director for the parish of SS. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox
Church, Palos Hills, IL for 5 years. He has been working in the field
of youth ministry for over 12 years.